The Petroleum University of Technology plans to establish a specialized center at its Ahvaz Faculty of Petroleum to diagnose and address recurring technical challenges in oil production, university President Mohammadreza Khosravi-Nikou said.
The center will focus on common production problems and provide specialized solutions to the oil industry, Khosravi-Nikou said, noting that oil wells and fields, much like humans, develop various problems over time and during production.
He said universities and research centers have worked separately on some of these challenges, but their efforts have been fragmented, underscoring the need for a specialized center dedicated to oil production problems.
The university is therefore pursuing the establishment of the country’s first specialized center focused on oil production challenges at its Ahvaz Faculty of Petroleum, located in the heart of Iran’s oil-producing regions, he said.
The center will identify recurring production problems and build specialized scientific capacity to address each one, Khosravi-Nikou said. Associated water production, for example, is a common industry challenge. The center will recruit faculty members specializing in such areas and coordinate their research around specific industry needs.
The goal is to provide oil companies with a single specialized center they can turn to when they encounter production problems, he said, adding that experts at the center will focus specifically on diagnosing each issue and developing solutions.
Focus on real industry needs
Work on establishing the center began several months ago, with initial studies and planning completed, Khosravi-Nikou said. The university is now preparing the laboratories required for the center.
After years without the ability to recruit faculty through open calls, the Petroleum University of Technology has regained that capacity, he said, adding that the university aims to recruit specialists in fields where the oil industry has genuine needs.
Khosravi-Nikou expressed hope that the specialized oil production center will be operational at the Ahvaz Faculty of Petroleum by Feb. 11, which marks Iran’s Revolution anniversary.
He also identified associated water production, associated gas and reservoir aging as among the challenges that could be addressed through the new center.
University moves to meet technology needs
Khosravi-Nikou said the university is expanding cooperation with the oil industry and seeking to use its scientific capabilities to meet the sector’s technological needs.
The Petroleum University of Technology derives its identity from the oil industry and historically focused primarily on training the specialized workforce required by the sector. With advances in technology, however, universities must also help industry gain access to emerging technologies and operate at the frontier of knowledge, he said.
The university also plans to establish a specialized center in the south to develop and localize hydraulic fracturing expertise, Khosravi-Nikou said.
The National Iranian Oil Co. needs specialized personnel and technical expertise in hydraulic fracturing, and the university aims to develop the required knowledge domestically through the new center and align graduate research projects with industry needs, he said.
The university’s long-term goal is to work with the private sector to carry out the first hydraulic fracturing operation in one of the country’s southern oil fields and develop the necessary expertise domestically, from research and planning through implementation, Khosravi-Nikou said.
The initiative is part of the Petroleum University of Technology’s broader effort to use its scientific capacity to address the oil industry’s evolving technological needs.